Sigulda New Castle

Sigulda New Castle is a Neo-Gothic castle featuring a prominent central tower and stone walls built from colorful natural boulders arranged as decorative elements. The structure sits within Gauja National Park and displays architectural characteristics that reflect different periods of development in the surrounding area.

The castle was built between 1878 and 1881 for the Kropotkin family, incorporating stones and materials salvaged from a 17th-century structure that previously stood on the same site. A major renovation in the 1930s significantly altered its appearance and created the form visible today.

After World War I, the castle became home to the Latvian Union of Writers and Journalists, transforming it into a creative center for the country's literary community. This shift from a family residence to a gathering place for artists and writers gave the building a new cultural role that remained central to its identity.

The castle can be explored during its exhibition periods when guided tours and displays present the building's architectural development over time. The location within a park setting makes it easy to walk around the exterior and take time to observe the structure from different angles.

In a 1930s renovation, architect August Birkhans raised the main tower, a modification that gave the building its distinctive silhouette seen today. This change was not driven by historical necessity but by a deliberate aesthetic choice that fundamentally shaped how the castle appears.